Rio Ferdinand has explained that the most pleasing thing about Bryan Mbeumo’s Manchester United debut had little to do with his talent.
Bryan Mbeumo made his official Manchester United debut as Rúben Amorim’s men fell to a 1-0 loss against Arsenal during the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Despite the loss, there are many positives for United to take, with the 26-year-old’s performance being one of them.
Mbeumo played 90 minutes in a United shirt for the first time, and was a consistent threat in the final third. He took five shots, ran just over 10km, and completed 24 of his 30 passes.
He had a total of 54 touches, including six in the opposition’s box, completing his only dribble and attempting five crosses.
Mbeumo’s most pleasing trait was not his talent
Mbeumo’s talent is clear, with his 20-goal campaign at Brentford last season a clear indication that he has the potential to become one of the best wingers in world football.
However, former United centre-back and club legend Rio Ferdinand has had his say on the matter. Speaking on his podcast, the 46-year-old commented that despite the attacking intent Mbeumo showed, the “most pleasing” aspect of his performance was his positional discipline.
“Mbeumo, in the first half, he was getting on the ball and I think his drop-off in the game was probably down to fitness, but he looked a threat immediately,” Ferdinand said.
“He’d give us a different dimension, his positional sense I thought was one of the most pleasing things in where he identified when to stay wide, when to come in the pitch, get back into good shape.
“But again, when he’s on the ball, you can see that he’s going to be a threat and ask questions of the defenders.”
Šeško will only add threat to United’s front three
While Mbeumo and fellow new signing Matheus Cunha made their competitive debuts from the start, United’s third major summer signing, striker Benjamin Šeško, came off the bench for around 30 minutes.
Šeško had a decent impact, pinning Arsenal’s centre-backs while an onslaught was launched on David Raya’s goal, although it was to little avail.
Read More: Former Manchester United player training with relegated club after Rúben Amorim-sanctioned exit
However, Ferdiand explained that he feels that Premier League defenders watching United uesterdau, even without Šeško starting, they will be worried about the talent AMorim now possesses in his front line.
“I feel if I’m an opposing defender watching what I saw yesterday, minus Šeško by the way, I’m thinking, oh, this is a different Man United now.
“They’ve got power, stroke, pace, guile, unpredictability, if they keep coming with that, I ain’t going to enjoy playing against this.”
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